Table Of ContentThe Conservative Movement
and the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was the central political issue of the 1960s and 1970s.
This study by Seth Offenbach explains how the conflict shaped modern
conservatism. The war caused disputes between the pro-war right
and libertarian conservatives who opposed the war. At the same time,
Christian evangelicals supported the war and began forming alliances
with the mainstream, anti-communist right. This enabled the formation
of the New Right movement which came to dominate U.S. politics at
the end of the twentieth century. T he Conservative Movement and the
Vietnam War explains the right’s changes between Barry Goldwater and
Ronald Reagan.
Seth Offenbach is Assistant Professor of History at Bronx Community
College in the City University of New York system.
Routledge Advances in American History
Exploring the Next Frontier
Vietnam, NASA, Star Trek and Utopia in 1960s and 70s American
Myth and History
Matthew Wilhelm Kapell
America’s Vietnam War and Its French Connection
Frank Cain
Famine Irish and the American Racial State
Peter D. O’Neill
The Disinformation Age
The Collapse of Liberal Democracy in the United States
Eric Cheyfitz
After American Studies
Rethinking the Legacies of Transnational Exceptionalism
Jeffrey Herlihy-Mera
The White House and White Africa
Presidential Policy Toward Rhodesia During the UDI Era, 1965–1979
Eddie Michel
The Civil War and Slavery Reconsidered
Negotiating the Peripheries
Edited by Laura R. Sandy and Marie S. Molloy
The Conservative Movement and the Vietnam War
The Other Side of Vietnam
Seth Offenbach
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/
Routledge-Advances-in-American-History/book-series/RAAH
The Conservative Movement
and the Vietnam War
The Other Side of Vietnam
Seth Offenbach
First published 2019
by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
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© 2019 Taylor & Francis
The right of Seth Offenbach to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-367-20954-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-26438-2 (ebk)
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To my family. I love you.
Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction: The Other Side of Vietnam 1
SECTION I
Conservatives and the Vietnam War 23
1 The Long 1964 25
2 United by Strategy 53
SECTION II
Problems 81
3 Dissent of the Libertarians 83
4 Negative Conservatism 109
5 The Problem of Richard Nixon 132
SECTION III
Redemption 153
6 Christianity and Conservatism 155
Conclusion: From Goldwater to Reagan 185
Index 197
Acknowledgments
To write a book is an incredibly rich and rewarding experience. It also
wouldn’t be possible to complete the process without the help and sup-
port of colleagues, friends, and family members. Many people have helped
shape this book and guided my ideas throughout the process. Without
your support, this book would not have been possible.
The idea to write a book about 1960s conservatism first came to me
over a decade ago while I was an undergraduate student at McGill Uni-
versity. That is where my true passion for thinking about history was
ignited. While studying in Montreal, Leonard Moore, Edward Kohn, Gil
Troy, and Gershon Hundert all demonstrated tremendous patience with
me and helped inspire me to ask more questions about the past than
I could have ever imagined. This is especially true of Leonard Moore,
whose class on U.S. conservatism helped seed many of the ideas in this
book. They helped shape my personal and professional career far more
than they ever knew.
I continued working on political history at Stony Brook University,
where I was guided by Michael Barnhart. Our conversations forced me to
think more deeply about ideas and issues than I ever could have imagined.
I would often walk into his office with one question in mind and leave
with five more. It was inspiring. This project began many years ago as my
doctoral dissertation, which was shaped by Themis Chronopolous and
Gene Lebovics. I have also been humbled how Alan Brinkley took me in
as one of his students while in graduate school. Throughout my career, he
has been helpful and insightful. To my former classmates, Andrea Boffa,
Christopher Mauceri, and the Elizabeths, O’Connell-Gennari, George,
and Ellsmore: thank you all for standing by me in graduate school and
beyond. To David Ullmann and Spencer Ross, thank you for all of your
support through the years.
Over the last seven years, I have been extremely fortunate to be work-
ing at Bronx Community College, an incredibly welcoming and wonder-
ful place, and I am truly indebted to all of my colleagues here. They have
helped shape my professional development and been supportive of my
efforts through various stages in the book. I am especially grateful to
Acknowledgments ix
Stephen Duncan and David Gordon, who took time out of their lives to
offer detailed feedback on a draft of the complete manuscript. William
deJong-Lambert also assisted me by reading several chapters of the book.
Mara Lazda continues to be a wonderful officemate, and her dedication
and integrity is an inspiration. And finally, Tamar Rothenberg is a stu-
pendous chair of the department. She supported my work and teaching
at every turn and has helped make me a better colleague, scholar, and
teacher. To all of my colleagues: you have helped make Bronx Commu-
nity College a wonderful place to work.
Many people at other institutions have helped shape my ideas through-
out the years. Donald Critchlow and Gregory Schneider offered assis-
tance when I was just a freshman graduate student. Nichole Hemmer,
Sandra Scanlon, Michael Bowen, Jason Friedman, Michael Brenes, and
Laura Jane Gifford have helped talk me through various ideas over the
years, with the latter four reading at least a draft chapter or two. Diane
Labrosse is undoubtedly the best copy editor a friend could ask for. Work-
ing with her at H-Diplo for the past decade has taught me so much about
editing, professionalism, and life. She took time out of her intense sched-
ule to read and edit this book. Her ideas, feedback, and edits helped make
this a better project. Through the CUNY Faculty Fellowship Publication
Program, I met great colleagues in Kafui Attoh, Melissa Borja, Lawrence
Johnson, Stephen Steinberg, Devin Molina, Emily Tumpson Molina, and
Susanna Rosenbaum. You each offered a tremendous amount of help and
inspiration along the way. Finally, Max Novick at Routledge helped me
get this project through to publication. He has been patient with me and
quick to offer replies to my many queries. Without his support, this book
would remain a dream.
This project would not be possible without the financial support of
several organizations. Much of the archival research for this project was
completed while I was in graduate school. That was funded through
grants from Stony Brook University, including Professional Development
Funds and the Graduate Student Organization’s Research Access Project.
The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations provided me
with both the Divine Travel Grant and Samuel Flagg Bemis Research
Grant. The Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library sponsored my research
to its archive, while the Institute for Humane Studies has twice awarded
me the Hayek Fund for Scholars. The City University of New York and
Bronx Community College have helped fund my conference travels and
writing workshops through the Stewart Travel Award, the Faculty Fel-
lowship Publication Program, the Faculty Publication Mentorship Pro-
gram, and the Faculty Scholarship Support Grant. I truly appreciate all
of the financial support.
To my family: this book is for you as much as it is for me. You have all
stood by me in good times and bad, and I will never forget your help along
the way. Though none of my grandparents witnessed the publication of
